Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards attempts patience as crew works out issues
Carl Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing team races through a pit stop earlier this season. // Mark Sluder, NASCAR Scene
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Carl Edwards says he is still not happy with the performance of his Roush Fenway Racing pit crew but is trying to be patient and give his reorganized team time to gel.
Edwards, who won a series-high nine races last season, is winless so far in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and has just four top-10 finishes in 10 races. He is ninth in points.
Edwards has had opportunities to win this season slip away after losing track position on pit road. He was leading late in the race at Texas, for instance, but faded to 11th and finished 10th after his crew had lug nuts stick on a late pit stop.
The team replaced front tire changer Corey Quick with Brandon Hopkins following the Texas race.
When asked at Darlington Friday if he was happy with his pit crew now, Edwards said, “No, definitely not.
“We have continued troubles on pit road. What I am confident in is the process. We just need the time now. We need Brandon to develop as a tire changer, and he needs to work with the guys and everybody needs to develop that chemistry that makes them good on pit road. We are a long ways from where we need to be, but, hopefully, the process we have in place works.”
Edwards said he visited his shop recently to meet with the pit-crew coaches, watch pit-crew practice and support his crew.
“The problem is not practice,” he said. “They are decent at practice. The problem is working together in the hostile environment that is the race. I stand behind my guys 100 percent. … We just have to figure out how to get them to work well together at the race.
“… It would appear that whatever happens at the race track is giving them a hard time. I talked at great length with [general manager] Robbie [Reiser] and the pit-crew coaches. We do have a great way for the guys to practice; now they do two-a-days, practicing more. Hopefully, we don’t have any problems with that. They are working hard. It’s just going to take time. Either they can do it, or they can’t. Time will tell.”
